Two graduate student positions at the PhD or MSc level

WILDLIFE EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY in a CHANGING WORLD

Graduate school is a formative moment. For many of us it represents a time of intellectual and personal growth that helps us go onto achieve our personal and professional goals. Our research opportunities, our community, and the geography in which we choose to study shape our growth and trajectories.

The Wildlife Evolutionary Ecology Lab is a diverse and inclusive research community located Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Our lab occurs on the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk and Mi’kmaq peoples, and our projects span a myriad of traditional Lands across Canada.

We are looking to recruit a cohort of up to two graduate students at the PhD or MSc level and anticipated start dates between May 2025 and January 2026. We are willing to wait for the applicants with the best fit. All positions are fully-funded in St. John’s (~4 year PhD and ~2 year MSc; between $25,000 to $35,000/year depending on qualifications). We will support and encourage the successful applicants to apply for internal and external funding. Though securing external funding is not a requirement, our community has had consistent success with MSc and PhD scholarships from NSERC.

We will tailor projects to the interests of successful applicants. Projects, however, will likely occur within our established research systems and with the support of our current and legacy collaborators. In particular, we are hoping to recruit students interested in research questions that are relevant to caribou responses to environmental change (e.g., disturbance ecology, movement ecology, and zoogeochemistry).

Training Opportunity: The projects will provide excellent opportunities for active training and developing skills for employment or further graduate studies. For example, (1) Fundamentals: critical thinking, experimental design, practicing and communicating science; (2) Field skills: biotelemetry; behavioural observation of wildlife; (3) Analytical, lab-skills, advanced GIS, programing statistical and spatial models; (4) Building a better community: learning about, and contributing to, the ongoing development of lab inclusivity practices, mental health awareness, and Indigenization through organized discussions, workshops, and seminars.

Qualifications: We seek applicants with the following qualities. (1) A passion for nature, ecological and evolutionary theory. (2) An interest, commitment and, aptitude for research in the field (accommodations will be provided for individuals who cannot study in the field). (3) Quantitative skills in GIS, statistical programing in R, and experience or interest in modeling. (4) A demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. (5) And foremost, evidence of kindness. We assess merit via both traditional and non-traditional indicators in our candidate selection. Applicants are encouraged to contact any past or present students in the WEEL group to obtain an informed opinion of the potential provided by positions in our community.

Memorial University’s mission, code, and values reflect its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. While everyone is responsible for upholding these values, we have a responsibility to lead and foster equity initiatives within our lab and department given the importance of inclusion in scholarship.

To apply, please email your applications to me (eric.vanderwal@mun.ca). We would appreciate if the application was a single *.pdf document. Please include a cover letter outlining your background, aspirations, interests, desired research questions or system, any equity considerations you are comfortable sharing, and a current CV including the names of two references.

Thank you in advance.

~Eric and the WEEL community